In many applications, data are gathered en masse for subsequent analysis. The data gathered may relate to concurrent measurements which are downloaded and stored in a serial file. Because the data are generated in parallel but stored in series, data from one measurement frequently are interposed between data from another measurement. This poses a problem for subsequent analysis of the data, especially since the serial files tend to be very large. Searching and extracting information is performed in a piecemeal fashion which increases computation time and limits analysis. Therefore, a need exists for organizing data contained in such files to increase analysis capability and efficiency. The present invention fulfills this need among others.